Poem = Person

O, Miami is proud to collaborate with Cave Canem Foundation, North America’s premier home for Black poetry, to produce the annual Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady Chapbook Prize, developed in collaboration with the Jai-Alai Books and The Writer’s Room at The Betsy-South Beach. Established to celebrate Cave Canem’s 20th anniversary, the prize seeks to publish one outstanding chapbook manuscript by a black poet per year, regardless of the poet’s publication history or career status.

The winning poet receives $500, publication by Jai-Alai Books, 10 copies of the chapbook, a one-week residency at The Writer’s Room at the luxury, four-star Betsy-South Beach boutique hotel, and a feature reading at the O, Miami Poetry Festival. For up-to-date information on the prize, including submissions, visit Cave Canem.

Previous winners

Layla Benitez-James, God Suspected My Heart Was a Geode but He Had to Make Sure (Purchase)Nick Makoha, Resurrection Man (Purchase)Rio Cortez, I have learned to define a field as a space between mountains (Purchase)

Founded in 1996 by Toi Derricotte and Cornelius Eady to remedy the under-representation and isolation of African American poets in the literary landscape, Cave Canem is a home for the many voices of African American poetry and is committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets. Called "the major watering hole and air pocket for black poetry" by 2011 National Book Award winner Nikky Finney, Cave Canem has grown from an initial gathering of 26 poets to become an influential movement with a renowned faculty and a high-achieving national fellowship of 400. Its programs include an annual week-long retreat, first- and second-book prizes with prestigious presses, Legacy Conversations with pre-eminent black poets and scholars, cross-cultural Poets on Craft talks, a lecture series, writing workshops, publications and national readings. For more information, visit cavecanempoets.org.

O, Miami builds literary culture in Miami, FL. In collaboration with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, O, Miami produces a visiting writer series, a publishing imprint, a poets-in-the-community workshop program and the O, Miami Poetry Festival, which has the annual goal of ensuring that every person living in Miami-Dade County encounters a poem during the month of April.

Jai-Alai Books, which operates under the non-profit organization O, Miami, is a small press dedicated to the advancement of Miami’s literary identity. Launched in 2014 and winner ofthe 2014 Knight Arts Challenge from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the press publishes titles in a variety of genres. For more information visit www.jai-alaibooks.com.

Situated at the edge of the Atlantic, The Betsy–South Beach is the host hotel for wide-ranging programs that embrace the richness of global arts and culture. Since opening in 2012, The Betsy Writer’s Room has hosted more than 300 authors, artists and thought leaders, including notable poets W.S. Merwin, Nikky Finney and Robert Haas. The Betsy’s Poetry programs are inspired by the work of mid-century poet Hyam Plutzik, three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and father of Betsy owner Jonathan Plutzik. For more information, visit www.betsywritersroom.com and www.thebetsyhotel.com.